After the darkness of 10 losses from their last 14, the Toronto Raptors received a major infusion of light today; Serge Ibaka is a Raptor. Damn, that feels good to say.
What does that mean for tonight’s game? Probably not a whole lot since the Bulls have had the Raptors’ number over their last ten games and it would only be fitting for Chicago to add to the heartbreak on Valentine’s Day. If you’d like to depress yourself over what’s transpired in those ten games, Blake Murphy has you covered with this mini-breakdown of the past:
I don’t know why I did this. But here are the Raptors’ last 10 meetings with the Bulls: pic.twitter.com/HMBBIv7SD0
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) February 14, 2017
In all seriousness though, it will be interesting to see if the Raptors play with some extra energy after surely being thrilled by the news of the trade. Sure, they lost Terrence Ross, but co-captains DeRozan and Lowry called for help and change respectively, and now they have it. Masai has put the onus squarely on the players, and it’s up to them to make the most of this roster over the remainder of the season.
The game tips off at 8 on TSN 2 and TSN 1050. You can check out the full game preview here.
Raptors updates
Serge Ibaka will not play tonight, though the deal is now official. Masai Ujiri did say in a presser that he hopes to have Ibaka in Toronto tonight to complete his physical and be eligible to play tomorrow. Patrick Patterson has still not been confirmed for tonight’s game, and personally, I’d rather see him sit out through the all-star break. Health is key at this time of the year, and with Ibaka potentially in the lineup as soon as tomorrow, I’d rather see him take an extra week off.
Spacing could be an issue tonight, especially if Patterson is absent. Ross is naturally out, and so Lowry and Carroll will have to do the bulk of the long-distance lifting. With the breath of fresh air that the trade provides, the Raptors players must be chomping at the bit to right the wrongs of the past month and a bit.
Patrick Patterson (ankle, questionable) – TBD
Serge Ibaka (just acquired) – Out
PG: Kyle Lowry, Cory Joseph, Delon Wright, Fred VanVleet
SG: DeMar DeRozan, Norman Powell
SF: DeMarre Carroll
PF: (Patrick Patterson), Jakob Poeltl, Pascal Siakam
C: Jonas Valanciunas, Lucas Nogueira, Jared Sullinger
TBD: Patrick Patterson
ASSIGNED: Bruno Caboclo
OUT: Serge Ibaka
Bulls updates
The Bulls are missing Wade and Mirotic, but Jimmy Butler is reason enough to believe they can defeat the Raptors tonight. As you saw with Blake’s tweet, Butler has gone off against the Raptors time and time again, so there’s no reason to believe it won’t happen again.
Michael Carter-Williams and Jerian Grant are expected to start tonight, and both will likely take turns guarding Lowry and DeRozan. The Raptors have caught quite a few breaks this season, but that hasn’t necessarily translated to wins.
Dwyane Wade (wrist) – Out
Paul Zipser (ankle/food poisoning) – Out
Nikola Mirotic (back) – Out
PG: Jerian Grant, Rajon Rondo
SG: Michael Carter-Williams, Denzel Valentine, Isaiah Canaan
SF: Jimmy Butler, Doug McDermott
PF: Taj Gibson, Bobby Portis
C: Robin Lopez, Cristiano Felicio
ASSIGNED: None
TBD: Paul Zipser
OUT: Dwyane Wade, Nikola Mirotic
Assorted
- Not sure if you heard, but the Raptors made a trade today.
- Bruno Caboclo is the lone Raptor on assignment with Raptors 905 as they play a Valentine’s Day home game in Mississauga.
- Speaking of the 905, Axel Toupane has been added to the D-League (soon to be G-League) All-Star Game as a replacement. He should have been on it in the first place, but all’s well that end’s well. He’ll join teammate Edy Tavares and the 905 coaching staff in the game, while John Jordan will provide the halftime Slam Dunk Contest fireworks.
- The NBA’s Last Two Minute Report indicated that DeMar DeRozan was, in fact, fouled on the final possession of regulation Sunday. Maybe it’s better they paid the price for their fourth quarter, anyway, though escaping with a win sure would have been nice. Anyway, you can’t leave it to the refs.
Last Two Minute Report says DeRozan was fouled on final possession. Ten Minutes Before That Report says it shouldn’t have mattered.
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) February 13, 2017
- The Raptors are -4.5 favourites to beat the Bulls tonight. The over/under is at 208.0.
